If asked to define this space, I would describe it as a void awaiting fulfilment—a void that is progressively diminishing. Each year, it becomes a little more occupied. We strive to create things that do not yet exist; consequently, it invariably feels as though we are starting anew, even as distinct cycles become recognisable—tomorrow, we return to digging holes to plant trees and shrubs.

 

The vast majority of our endeavours here bear visible seams. More often than not, they appear somewhat unfinished. We are uncertain of their longevity, and at times they even vanish, yet it is always possible to repurpose an antiquated component for a new purpose. We sense an accumulation not only of parts but of wisdom. We remain in the same location, yet we are no longer at the point where we began.

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We speak repeatedly of constructing a space that proposes alternative models: characterised by deliberate, slow rhythms; where error is not a problem but a step that may unlock other possibilities; where detachment—necessitated by the fact that this is not our primary source of livelihood—fosters reflection; a space with the latitude to begin again, should the need arise.

In this sense, the construction of the Geodesic dome and its installation in the space aptly mirror this modus operandi.

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Thanks to the now-defunct Casa das Brincadeiras, we possessed a series of scaffolding poles which, when arranged in a particular configuration, formed a geodesic structure. This material was stored in the old cellar alongside countless other items we have amassed, waiting for the moment they might see the light of day.

 

One day, I challenged Nuno Guedes (one of the founders of Casa das Brincadeiras) to raise the Geodesic dome once more. It was an afternoon well spent, and in the aftermath, we realised that this new element in the space could well be the first step towards something more.] On the other hand, we also had an outdoor stage that needed a new home, as it occupied a site affected by forthcoming construction work. The questions arose:

 

Could the geodesic dome serve as a canopy for this stage?

And would it be possible, with minimal resources, to devise a covering for this skeleton?

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Costanza succeeded in integrating this dream into a larger project, and funding was secured. A team was assembled—Miro, Baptista, and Nuno—with the objective of constructing and covering this structure, contingent upon using only materials found within the boundaries of this space.

In connection with this project, part of the ConGerminar cycle, the association Nada Novo (nadanovo.org) was invited for a discussion. This association promotes the reuse of construction components and materials, exploring the cultural challenges of their application. During this conversation, we learned they are mapping suppliers of used construction materials, often salvaged from demolition work [at a European level, the website opalis.eu already compiles such information].

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Returning to the practicalities:

We began by dismantling the stage and transporting the pieces to their new destination. This was made simple with the aid of a tractor trailer kindly lent by our neighbours (at which point it was decided that we required a trailer for our own tractor to alleviate the physical burden). We also decided to add two further stage modules, thereby extending its area to a five-metre square. The positioning of the Geodesic dome, and subsequently the stage within the structure’s twelve-metre radius, was dictated by a growing oak tree.

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Leveling the stage caused the first setback in our timeline. When constructing with materials sourced from standard warehouse shelves, one can—with varying degrees of creativity and expertise—seamlessly transition from a pre-designed blueprint to action. If the calculations are sound and the craftsmanship adept, everything proceeds as anticipated. Conversely, the warped timbers, weathered by rain and sun, which we sought to repurpose—the mortal remains of this farm’s old tool shed—do not adhere to the orthogonality of the ruler and the set square. The singularity bestowed upon these materials by the passage of time granted them, beyond a mere coefficient of rigidity, volume, and weight, an active voice in the construction process. The irregularity of their unique contours demanded dedicated handling. We had to learn to design ‘live’ and to be at peace with the cycle of building, dismantling, and beginning anew—a conclusion reached after realizing that anything built upon a fragile foundation will, sooner or later, require rectification, and such a correction will always remain a blemish, at least in the eyes of the builder.

Of the ten days allocated for the entire venture, three were devoted exclusively to the leveling and assembly of this stage. A few weeks prior, the geodesic structure, following its assembly diagram, had been erected in a single day…

 

At the end of this stage, we stepped back to observe how the two structures integrated: a Stage within a Geodesic dome. It was then that a new doubt surfaced: with the stage so precisely leveled, would the dome not also require leveling? Wary from our three-day ordeal with the stage, we lacked the initial will. One goes home, sleeps fitfully, and the next day, the decision is made to level the structure as well.

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Solutions are sought by surveying our surroundings, coupled with a desire to clear the site. Thus, we arrived at these three materials: sand, stones, and tyres. We constructed support columns for the vertices, composed of compacted sand and stones encased in old tyres. Had I known then what I know now, I would have placed a steel cable beneath these columns to subsequently anchor the vertices, thereby tethering the structure to the ground.

 

We succeeded in raising the structure thanks to the collective effort of the young, the old, and the children gathered for the activity proposed by Joana Magalhães, entitled “Jardim” (Garden) in collaboration with the Senior University of Pedroso and Seixezelo; together, we rested the vertices upon the small foundations of tyres, sand, and stones. In thirty minutes, what had seemed formidable became effortless. We all returned home gratified; the day had passed, and our collective labor was palpable.

 

After five days of toil, we had a stage and a geodesic dome, both leveled and sheltered by a growing oak tree. All that remained was to clad the triangles. There are thirty measuring 260x230x230 cm and ten measuring 260x260x260 cm.

Alas… time did not permit us to cover them all. Ambition, naivety, a disconnect from reality—yes, we suffered from those, to some extent…

 

At night, at home—often while tidying the kitchen, hanging laundry, or watering the plants—ideas emerge, and from materials designed for a specific function, other purposes are born, functions that transcend their primary intent. A wine rack can be transformed into a stained-glass window. A bracket for water pipes can become the ideal mounting for various materials. Not a definitive end for which it was engineered, but an infinitude of them.

 

The lesson gleaned from leveling the stage led us to initiate this process not on paper, but by arranging all usable materials around the structure: corrugated metal sheets, polycarbonate offcuts, old hexagonal wine-rack bricks, half-destroyed pallets, antique doors and windows, wooden joists and beams, palm fronds we had pruned… By the end of that day, we had a remarkably heterogeneous menu of possibilities, making the cladding exercise far less abstract.

 

Over the following workdays, we devoted ourselves to exploring each of these materials. We began with the triangles at the base of the dome and tackled the wine-rack bricks, placing them into the structure in a blend of functional and aesthetic reasoning; these are modules that allow the wind to pass through, yet when sealed with bottles, they can filter sunlight in a truly magical fashion. Since children are disruptive elements in any environment, we needed to devise a way to secure this second skin to the structure. Ah, hardware—so beautiful in its normativity and predictability: the screws, the steel cables, the turnbuckles, the wing nuts…

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During this process, there were several occasions where form followed not our will, but its own. It can be counterproductive to attempt to “bend” form to our preconceptions.

As the work progressed, various adjustments led to further slips in the proposed schedule. However, since we managed to save on materials, we were able to invest in labor, securing three additional days to enclose the triangles we had set out to finish with the available materials.

 

Of course, we are still many triangles short… We shall see when this Geodesic dome is finally enclosed...

 

At the end of this entire process, various pallets and several planks lay scattered around the structure—remnants that seemed to have missed the mark. A few weeks later, the mark found them, and from this debris, a bench was fashioned, encircling the eastern face of the structure. Thus began yet another piece to augment this project which, if all goes well, will never be truly finished.

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“I firmly believe that nature, the environment, the setting (at the moment of filming), and the captured footage (at the moment of editing) frequently prove themselves more intelligent than the author and the director.

It is a great stroke of luck, almost an entire art form in itself, to be able to hear and comprehend the significance of nature or the unforeseen details of a conceived setting; to listen to what the segments of film say as they are being spliced; and even to heed the scenes, which take on a life of their own on screen, often shattering the conceptual frameworks from which they originated.

All of this demands an absolute clarity of the key idea for every scene or phase of production. Parallel to this, an equal agility in choosing the specific means of materialisation is required.

It is vital to be exceedingly meticulous in order to know with perfect precision the resonance one seeks to achieve, while simultaneously maintaining sufficient discernment not to be deprived of the unforeseen materials and processes capable of providing that very resonance.”

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S. M. Eisenstein